Skillet are heading into the next chapter of their nearly three-decade career with the announcement of a new six-song EP, After the Storm, arriving October 9. Along with the announcement, the multi-Platinum rock band has released its latest single, “Lift Me Up,” accompanied by an anime-inspired lyric video.
The new EP arrives during a major period of momentum for the band. Skillet are currently averaging more than 12 million monthly Spotify listeners, while their six-times-Platinum anthem “Monster” has surpassed 5 billion global streams and joined Spotify’s Billions Club.
The band’s latest single, “Scream,” has already passed 5 million global streams and serves as an introduction to the emotional territory explored throughout After the Storm.
Produced by David Cowell of Sleep Theory alongside Skillet’s Korey Cooper, After the Storm finds the band returning to a heavier sound while taking a more personal approach to the songwriting. The songs explore betrayal, grief, perseverance and, ultimately, hope.
For frontman John Cooper, the record came from a particularly personal place.
“After the Storm is special to me because it reignites what Skillet was always meant to be—which is music that helps lift people out of dark times. I wrote these songs because I needed to be lifted out of my own darkness.”
“Lift Me Up” continues that direction with heavy guitars and a large, arena-ready chorus. Cooper says the song has the feel of early Skillet while still pushing the band forward.
“‘Lift Me Up’ reminds me of early Skillet, but it still feels fresh.”
The song was written during a period when Cooper felt overwhelmed by everything happening around him, ultimately becoming a song about finding hope when life feels difficult.
The announcement follows a landmark European headline tour for Skillet, which delivered the largest international audiences in the band’s history. The run included record-breaking ticket sales at Zénith in Paris.
Skillet will take After the Storm on the road with a U.S. Live Nation headline tour beginning in October.
With more than 23 million albums sold, two GRAMMY Award nominations, a Billboard Music Award and three Top 5 Billboard 200 debuts, Skillet have built one of the most enduring careers in modern rock. Their music has also reached audiences through the NFL, WWE, ESPN, Marvel and numerous film and television productions.
Nearly 30 years into their career, Skillet aren’t simply celebrating their legacy. After the Storm looks toward what comes next, combining the heavier side of the band’s sound with some of their most personal and hopeful songwriting yet.
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